MONTREAL, June 28 /CNW Telbec/ - The Concordia Student Union is outraged
at the Education Minister's decision to lift the tuition fee freeze, which
represents an increase of $500 per student over the next five years.
The Minister's plan comes at a high price for Concordia students. In
addition to having the highest ancillary fees in the province, Concordia
international students might see their fees increase by up to 10% come
September. "It is unacceptable," said Noah Stewart, Vice-President
Communications of the Concordia Student Union and the spokesperson for the
more then 30,000 undergraduates at Concordia, "Concordia University is already
getting away with charging $5000 more in differential fees for international
students. Our students are not cash cows."
Today's announcement is nothing more than a smoke screen. To put in an
extra $26 Million dollars in the student financial aid program will not help
ease the students' financial burden. According to the Minister for Education,
Leisure and Sports, Michelle Courchesne, the loans and bursaries system is
still lacking $45 Million, if it is to be indexed to the cost of living.
"The fact that the government has decided to raise tuition without
consulting the students of this province shows a severe lack of leadership,"
said Erica Jabouin, Vice-President External Affairs for the CSU "The
Government's plan is a failed attempt at appeasing student frustrations and
will result in nothing more than increased debt for university students in
Quebec."
